South Africa Begin New Zealand Tour Strongly

South Africa Begin New Zealand Tour Strongly

Lonwabo Tsotsobe (second left) proved too good for Canterbury's top order

©REUTERS / Action Images

South Africans 150-6 (Levi 63, Worker 3-23) beat
Canterbury 130 (Tsotsobe 4-18) by 20 runs
Twenty20 tour game, Christchurch

South Africa made a winning start to their tour of New Zealand as they beat Canterbury by 20 runs in a Twenty20 game in Christchurch.

Their score of 150 for six proved enough when four wickets - including a hat-trick - from Lonwabo Tsotsobe dismissed Canterbury for 130 in reply.

Uncapped opener Richard Levi led the way for the tourists by hitting 63 in 32 balls before Hashim Amla (35), JP Duminy (24) and Albie Morkel (10 not out) made useful contributions.

Canterbury's George Worker kept them in the game by taking three for 23 as he removed Levi, Colin Ingram (2) and AB de Villiers (4).

Tsotsobe then reduced the home side to 24 for four as he struck with the new ball to remove top four batsmen Worker (4), Peter Fulton (0), Shanan Stewart (2) and Tom Latham (11).

Worker and Fulton were dismissed with the last two balls of the second over and Tsotsobe completed the hat-trick when Stewart was trapped in front from the first ball of the fourth.

A brace of wickets from Juan Theron as well as one apiece from Duminy, Morne Morkel and Johan Botha gave Canterbury no way back although they did rally through Matt Henry's 42 and 30 from Matt McEwan.

McEwan, making his Twenty20 debut, hit three fours and a six before he was the last man to fall.

South Africa play New Zealand in the opening Twenty20 International in Wellington on Friday (17th February).

© Cricket World 2012